Window and escutcheon



Jan. llii 14%. E. P. WALLEY WINDOW AND ES CUTCHEON Filed March 25, 1959IN VENTOR.

Patented Jan. 23, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE WINDOW AND ESCUTCHEONApplication March 25,1939, Serial No. 264,261

1 Claims.

The present invention relates to windows and escutcheons, such asemployed for the tuning dials of radio receivers.

In the past it has been the practice to use glass, Celluloid,transparent plastic and the like for window materials and to hold thisin place in a metal frame or escutcheon.

Objects of the present invention are to enable the making of theescutcheon and window all in one single piece and without sacrificingany desirable features as to appearance and ornamental characteristicsand to obtain such an integral window and escutcheon in a strong,durable form, which will be relatively inexpensive, light in weight,practical for commercial manufacture and so constructed that securing itin place by screws or other fastenings will not twist or warp it out ofshape.

Other desirable objects and the novel features of the invention by whichall objects are attained are set forth in the following specification,illustrated in the accompanying drawing and broadly covered in theclaim.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of this specificationillustrates one simple practical embodiment of the invention. Structure,however, may be modified and changed as regards this particularillustration, all within the true intent and broad scope of theinvention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

Figure l is a face view of a combined window and escutcheon as designedfor a radio receiver or like instrument.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross sectional View as on substantially theline 2--2 of Figure 1.

The structure illustrated consists of a single piece of sheet plastichaving a transparent central window portion 3 and a frame or escutcheonportion 4.

The window portion is shown as offset inwardly of the surrounding flangeportion by a connecting beveled flange 5, in the nature of a bezel.

Figure 2 shows how in the mounting of the window in the opening 6provided in the wall 1 of a radio cabinet or the like, the escutcheonwill rest against the outer face of the instrument casing and the bezel5 project inwardly through the opening, thus to support the window 3 inan inset relation.

The escutcheon frame is shown as having a marginal rearwardly projectingflange 3 to engage the face of the instrument case. This flange givesthe frame a hollow formation and offsets the face of the frame away fromthe face of the instrument casing.

Screws, nails or other individual fastenings such as indicated at 9,Fig. 2, are usually employed for securing the escutcheon over theinstrument opening. To avoid collapse of the hon low escutcheon, withaccompanying distortion and malformation of the frame and the windowportion as well, seats I l) for the fastenings are pressed in the hollowframe and carried back substantially to the plane of the marginal flange8, substantially as indicated at the left in Fig. 2. These pads or seatsin substantially the same plane as the extreme rim of the escutcheon,bear directly on the supporting surface, so the pressure of the securingfastenings can have no disto-rting effect on either the escutcheon orthe window which forms a part of it.

Portions of the hollow frame are shown embossed outwardly at H to add tothe ornamental appearance of the escutcheon.

To give the frame and the bezel the appearance of a metallic escutcheon,these parts preferably are covered with a metallic paint as indicated atIt and to render the escutcheon portion fully opaque and preventemission of light from within the instrument through any part but thewindow, the back of the escutcheon may be coated with black or otherpaint as indicated generally at l3.

To provide a clear line of demarcation between the opaque metallicappearing frame and the window which is part of it, a definite bead M ispressed into the marginal portion of the window. This bead has afurther, mechanical function in that it provides a seat for receivingand holding a hollow stencil i5 which is used to shield the window whenthe metallic paint is sprayed on over the back of the escutcheon. This,or a similar mask, can be engaged over the bead at the front face of thewindow when the face of the escutcheon is being sprayed with themetallic paint [2 or other coating material.

The embossments l I may be sprayed or painted in other colors than theframe, as with the aid of suitable stencils which will cover the face ofthe escutcheon while the coloring is being applied to the embossments.

The integral escutcheon and window can be formed from sheet plasticmaterial, pressed to shapes such as shown in hot dies. The marginalflange gives the escutcheon a desired degree of stiffness and the beadprovides the effect of a somewhat flexible connection between the windowand surrounding frame portion, aiding in avoiding breakage. The paintingof the frame portion is readily effected by the locating of the maskingstencil over the marginal head of the window. The escutcheon may bepainted in bronze, gold, silver, chromium, aluminum or other metalliccolors, or in fact, in any desired colors and highly desirableornamental effects can be obtained by pressing the escutcheon withraised or depressed portions and painting or coloring them differentlyfrom the balance of the frame portion. While of particular value forradio instruments it will be realized that the invention may be employedfor all kinds of instruments.

What is claimedis:

As a new article of manufacture, a unitary escutcheon and window,comprising a single piece of thin transparent pressed sheet plastic ofsubstantially uniform thickness, permanently conformed into a hollowmarginal frame portion and an integrally connected central windowportion, said hollow frame portion including a marginal flange about therim of the article extending back from the face of the sheet forengagement at its edge with a supporting surface and sections of saidhollow marginal frame portion being depressed below the surface of saidhollow marginal frame portion back to a level at the inner surface ofthe sheet substantially in line with said edge of said marginal flangeto thereby provide seats for fastenings which will engage the samesurface engaged by said edge, substantially without distorting saidhollow marginal frame of thin pressed plastic sheet.

E. P. WALLEY.

